Table



June 16; 1925. 1,542,693 S. GORDON ET AL i TABLE Filed Nov. 15) 1924 24 25 2 2 INVENTORS a 2 Samuel Gordono BNafhcm Ecksfem 6401 ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1925. V

UNITED STATES SAMUEL GORDbN AND NATHAN ECKSTEIN, OF YORK, N. Y.

TABLE.

Application filed November 15, 1924. Serial No. 750,145.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, SAMUEL GORDON and NATHAN ECKSTEIN, citizens of the United States, residing in New York, county of New York, State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tables to be particularly used where utmost utility and efficiency may be obtained so far as space and sturdy construction are concerned, and is particularly adapted for types of furniture where lim ited space is available and where additional table space is at times desirable to be obtained from a single piece of furniture.

Where we have tried to make expansible tables to supply additional table space of the so-called gate-leg variety, aside from the cumbersome construction and manipu lation necessary to put the same into its various uses, its utility is limited by the weakened construction resulting from the numerous movable parts.

Other variations have been tried to produce expansible tables involving the addition of leaves having compound sliding and bodily movement to cause alignment of the added parts, resulting in the introduction of the usual difficulties attendant to complex motion of mechanisms.

The object therefore of our invention is to provide a, table having combined utilitarian purposes.

A further object of our invention is to,

provide a table having utility as a table and convertible to one of increased table space.

A further object of our invention is to provide a table and combination storage means convertible into one having increased means provi table space, or acting as a buffet or similar piece of furniture.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a table and combination storage ding access to such storage means without disturbing the objects that ma be placed upon the table.

if further ob ect of our invention is to simplify and improve the detailed construction and arrangement of a table and the component parts thereof to procure maximum strength and greatest utility.

A still further ob'ect of our invention is to provide a piece 0 furniture suitable asa table in a dining room orlibrary, which will minimize the amount of space taken up while convertible to serve that of greater capacity.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, and in order that those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, we make reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, illustrating preferred forms of our invention, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on a line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a broken section taken on a line- 33 of Fig. 2';

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of an element entering into our combination.

It will be observed that in the drawing, 9 I

are table legs or standards having cross rails 10 and side rails 11 spaced between the table legs and fixedly engaged thereto by mortice and tenon joints or in any other suitable way. Struts 12 are preferably connected between the legs of the table to give additional strength and a foot rail 13 may be mounted upon the struts 12, which also serves to give additional strength to the table leg structure. The rails 10 and 11 form the top-frame and are preferably made of sufficient width so that by the addition of a bottom 14, they combine to form a compartment,15. The table top 16 is mounted on the frame formed by the members 10 and 11 and is arranged for forming an expansible member by having hinged theretb an additional leaf 17 by hinge members 18.

The table top 16 and its hinged leaf 17 is arranged to form a closure member for the compartment by sliding transversely across the open side thereof, and is held in fixed. and slidable position in reference thereto by engagement with the guide rails 19, rigidly attached in the compartment and arranged to co-ordinate with the complemental gripping members 20 attached to the bottom face of the table top leaf 16 in an suitable way, as by screws 21. To decrease the frictional contact between (shown in detail in Fig. 4), at spaced intervals 22 in the guide rails and side rails 10 and 11 to aid the slidable mounting of the table top. These elements 22 may be arranged and spaced at any points in the upper face of the frame and be made as numerous as desired. Referring particularly to Fig. 4 the anti-frictional element may be a housing23 having a cover plate 24, enclosing a ball 25 which protrudes through an opening 26 in the cover plate for a portion sufficient to support any fiat surfaced material placed upon the rail or body in which the anti-frictional element is affixed.

To make certain that the leaves 16 and 17 of the table-top always assume aligned position when unfolded to give maximum table space, we provide at the edges 27 of the leaves short mortices 28 and correspondingtenons 29 which are adapted to key with each other and assurealignment of the leaves should they for any reason have become warped. This keying also relieves the hinges from any undue strain.

Normally, the table-top 16 will be posi tioned upon the table frame, as shown in Fig. 1. In this position the table may be placed against the wall of a room or center thereof and will occupy the minimum amount of space.

To make the storage compartment 15 available for use, all that is necessary is to slide the table-top away from the normal position until the gripping members 20 abut one of the side rails. The compartment 15 will then be accessible for introduction or removal of silverware, such as knives, forks, napkins and the like, from said compartment. This can be accomplished without disturbing any object placed upon the tabletop. If a table of this kind is used against any wall of a room, it will be observed that the table-top is excellently adaptable as a buffet, furnishing maximum amount of knee clearance on the underside thereof, if it is desired to be used as a table. In this position, if desired, the table may be-giveil double table space capacity by unfolding the separate leaves 16 and 17 about the hinge 18 and placed in a positionshown in dotted lines in the figure. It will thus be observed that the compartment 15 is also made accessible by hingedly raising the leaf 17.

W'ith frictional elements inserwd in the face of the rails 10 and 11 and guiding rail '22, the table-top 16 may be manipulated as a closure'element with considerable ease by reason of the anti-frictional contact that is had with the ball bearing at the several points where the table-top makes contact with the same.

Though we have described our preferred embodiment as made of a single compartment by reason of the side and cross rails 10 and 11 and the bottom 14: making up the compartment thereof, it will be obvious that an additional compartment, drawers and the like, may be added or included within the main compartment. And though we have described our table-top in slidable connection with the table frame by use of ball bear: ing anti-frictional devices, these ant ifric- ,tional means may be substituted by other suitable anti-frictional devices or omitted entirely, if so desired. It will also be understood that locking means for the several positions in which the table-top or closure member may be placed, may be supplied to assure a fixed position or to prevent displacement from such position.

From the foregoing description it 'will be seen that we have produced an article serving varied purposes by the simple and improved construction, at the same time insuring the necessary strength and sturdiness of construction, making the device admirably suitable as a dining room table, library tabla modified buffet, and for other purposes.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

In a table having a pair of longitudinally spaced cross-rails and a pair of longitudinally spaced side-rails forming the sides and ends of a compartment, a bottom closure for said compartment, a top for said compartment consisting of a plurality of superimposed hinged stacked leaves of substantially equal size, one of said leaves being slidably connected to the top of said table whereby it may be slid from normal closed position to permit access to said compartment and to permit of the other of said leaves to be folded down over the said compartment and thereby increase the size of said table.

In witness whereof, we have signed this specification, this 13th day of Nov. A. D.

SAMUEL GORDON. .L ATHAN EOKSTEIN.

meacrnmmam 1,542,693.-Smnuel Gordon and Nathan Eek-stein, New York, N. Y. TABLE. Pat ent dated June 16, 1925. Disclaimer filed December 30, 1930, by the first named patentee, said Gordon, and The Leonardo 00., Inc, as assignee of one-half interes't in said invention. a i I I Hereby disclaim any table which falls Within the claim in the patenEaS granted; unless the table has the leaves forming the top thereof connected to sli e bodily in relation to the supporting rails by a rectilinear movement in a plane transverse to the supporting rails; and also disclaim any table in which the top swings or pivots about a point Within the limits of the table top across the supporting rails in a plane defined by the normal psition of the table top.

[Ofiicz'al Gazette amuary 20, 1931.] 

